“Clarification”

Our Road Trip from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rockies

Normally, the posts here relate to framing ideas and art. The past few posts regarding our summer travels may seem out of place to most of you, so I thought I would take a moment to clarify why am including them here.

Most artists create from their experience, insights and interpretations. You don’t have to go to Africa  or India to know how to paint a real tiger but you can go to the zoo or a rescue facility to say their structure, the varied colors of their coat in different light and even their breathing. The idea is, you are in their presence. It’s the same with nature. Many of us have contained ourselves within the proverbial four walls. Getting out into the wilderness, being frightened by it but also entranced by its beauty, aroma and sounds heightens your awareness and imagination. While writing this, I’m sitting in a small camp chair in the middle of a forest overlooking a lush green meadow it the sun shining through the trees causing a light mist to rise from the rain soaked ground. Everything is sparkling from the wetness which includes the many varieties of yellow, white and lavender flowers. A bird flew close overhead and although I didn’t see it, I heard not the flutter of a small bird, but the deep heavier beat that belongs to a larger bird. I also hear a mixture of birdsong from the smaller variety which is coupled with the timbre of bees buzzing about to complete the forest concert.

On a side note here, I have never seen such a variety of bees! Bee-utiful

I hear woodpeckers tapping from several directions and just now a crow or two, answering each other from across the meadow. Off in the distance, beyond the valley, there is another be spruce forest then a high mountain ridge with undulating curves that ascend higher to the left. At this hour they are misted in a soft serene blue.

Now, I may never paint this scene, but the essence will be incorporated into one of my artworks at a later time. The textures and images that we photograph will be incorporated into new ideas and concepts. So here we are sharing not just a fun summer of photos, but also insights of future paintings.

Not to burst your serene bubble, but the temperature this morning was 48* and should be in the mid 50’s by this afternoon but it is actually comfortable. Another interesting note is that we are about 11,000 ft high in a primitive camping area by Lake Poage in Colorado.

Since this writing, we have moved west to the Rio Grande National Forest. We stopped in at the nearest town which is Creede to do laundry and pick up a few things at the store. It is an old mining town that now has a yuppy tone to it but still thrives on a friendly atmosphere, breathtaking views and small town feel. We found out quickly that it only has 1 gas station, 1 grocery store, one hardware store and 1 laundromat (located at Kips Grill which is a bar, restaurant, Laundromat and carwash all on the corner of 5^th and Main)! Lovin’ it! We’ve been here for four days and it has rained every day since we arrived. WE found several trails we wanted to hike but each attempt has been thwarted by the immense clouds that have come in through the west. It’s still beautiful and we have the pictures to prove it.

Enjoy!